10 February
Prices of green gram are decreasing slightly in the Yangon market due to an increase in massive inflows of freshly harvested green gram into the Thonegwa market, traders said.
In Thonegwa market, a basket of green gram was sold for K42,000 on 9 February. Each basket contains 20 viss (72 pounds) of green gram. The current prices decreased by K3,000 per viss (3.6 lbs) in comparison with that of the prices on 26 January, when a viss of green gram was sold at K45,000.
The prices of green gram are usually volatile at the beginning of the harvest period, and prices typically decline following a good harvest. Due to growing demands, the market is now seeing a slight decrease in prices, compared with previous years.
In Thonegwa Township, growers are mainly cultivating monsoon paddy and marketable varieties of green gram, especially Yayzin and Shwewah species, in which Shwewah are usually assured a good price in the market.
Green gram can be harvested two and a half months after planting. Growers normally start cultivating green gram in the second week of November and harvest the crop in mid-February.
Depending on climate and quality of inputs, such as seeds, fertilizers and soil, an acre of green gram can produce up to 20 baskets.
For the 2018-2019 Financial Year, the planted area of winter green gram in the township stands at 129,984 acres, said U Tin Myint Aung, head of Thonegwa Township Department of Agriculture. Myanmar exports green grams to China, Vietnam and other countries.—Ko Kyaw (Thonegwa) (Translated by Khaing Thanda Lwin)
